In its weekly press statement, the PNCR said a team led by Opposition Leader Robert Corbin and PNCR MP Desmond Fernandes visited the North West area between February 5 and 7, as part of the party’s outreach programme and party members interacted with residents of Mathews Ridge, Arakaka and Port Kaituma. Among the issues highlighted by the party as being in need of attention were: the absence of electricity at Mathews Ridge; deplorable roads; the absence of a mortuary at Mathews Ridge; the need for improvement in quality of potable water supplied to Port Kaituma; as well as lack of employment offered to locals by a foreign timber company-based at Port Kaituma.
Regional Chairman Fermin Singh, when contacted yesterday for a comment on the issues highlighted by the opposition party, admitted that the issues are indeed in need of attention. However, according to him, the regional administration has put systems in place to address them.
The PNCR stated that the roads at Mathews Ridge, particularly the main access routes between Heaven Hill and Hell Hill, are in a deplorable state. In addition, the party stated that the central electricity service, which once existed in the area, is now non-existant and residents depend on individual electricity sources. The party stated that residents took its members on a visit to a generator which was promised and delivered by the administration following the 2006 General Elections. The generator, according to the party, never started and remained non-operational for some three years since delivery. Meanwhile, three transformers that were subsequently sent into the area also never worked, to the disappointment of the residents. The party stated the delivery of the generator in 2006 was an “election hoax,” which was intended to deceive residents there.
Singh told Stabroek News that he had visited the Mathews Ridge area last month and observed that the roads between Heaven Hill and Hell Hill were in a bad state. He said that monies have been allocated in this year’s budget to correct the situation. As regards the supply of electricity at Mathews Ridge, Singh stated that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs was the agency which delivered the generator and the transformers but a fault was discovered with the electrical transformers, which were leaking oil. He explained that the generator was delivered with a wrong key, noting that some $5M is being held by the community to address the issue. In addition, Singh noted that monies have been allocated in this year’s budget to address the issue, noting that it would cost the authorities some $15M to fix the problem-a sum which includes expenses relating to the sourcing of KVA cables to inter-connect the random electrical network in the area.
‘Serious health hazard’
The PNCR stated that the water supply system at Port Kaituma “is a serious health hazard as residents explained that, in the absence of a water treatment facility,” water is being pumped directly into the distribution pipes from the Port Kaituma River, which the party noted is contaminated with sewage and garbage.
The Regional Chairman told Stabroek News that he visited the area recently along with the Hinterland Manager of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) and following the visit the authorities have been looking at plans to drill a well in the area as well as constructing a storage tank to gravity feed water to the area. He added that a facility was constructed to source water from the Kaituma River but it was realised some time after that people lived “above that area and they would wash and bath at the top there.” As regards concerns expressed by residents at Port Kaituma at the Jailing Chinese Lumber Company not employing Guyanese and that their workforce of over 70 persons being foreigners, Singh stated that the issue was an old one which he personally has been paying attention to. He said that he spoke to the CEO of Jailing and his assistant, who is a Guyanese, and he was told that the locals from the area are employed by the timber company within the production area, as tree cutters, fellers, machine operators etc.
Singh said that he was told that the locals “have a habit of leaving the area and returning weeks later,” after being paid their salaries for work done within an agreed period. He said that the companies have requirements in place as regards this issue, “like any other company,” and the locals would become upset when they return to work only to find someone else carrying out their duties. He said he even addressed this issue with the locals and he called on them to be more responsible.
The PNCR stated that the overall problem within the sub-region is the absence of employment opportunities other than small scale mining “and this poses serious challenges for parents and the community.” The party stated that there is evidence which suggests that there is need for a development plan for the area, without which the ad-hoc interventions by the administration, “from time to time would be counterproductive.”
(Alva Solomon)
